Football team opens MIAA play with 42-20 loss to Hope

The Olivet College football team fell to Hope College, 42-20, in its Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) opener today before a capacity crowd at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet.

Box Score

Team Stats

Football team opens MIAA play with 42-20 loss to Hope
September 30, 2017

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College football team fell to Hope College, 42-20, in its Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) opener today before a capacity crowd at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet.

THE BASICS
Final score: Hope 42, Olivet 20
Location: Cutler Athletic Complex; Olivet, Mich.
Records: Olivet 2-2 overall, 0-1 MIAA; Hope 3-1 overall, 1-0 MIAA

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • The Flying Dutchmen scored a touchdown on their first five drives to build a 35-0 halftime lead.
  • The Comets got on the scoreboard for the first time with 4:26 left in the third quarter. Senior Kornelius Saxton capped an 11-play drive with a seven-yard run into the end zone.
  • The Olivet defense forced Hope to punt on its next drive. On the Comets' next play from scrimmage, junior Lane Porter threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Saxton with 55 seconds remaining in the third stanza.
  • The Flying Dutchmen used a 9-play, 80-yard drive to go ahead 42-12.
  • Olivet scored the final touchdown of the game on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Porter. Porter connected with sophomore Jacob Jodway for the two-point conversion

FOR THE COMETS

  • Olivet recorded 279 yards of offense – 56 rushing and 223 passing – in the game.
  • Senior Jerome Washington led the ground game with 20 rushes for 82 yards.
  • Porter was 16-of-22 passing for 223 yards.
  • Saxton hauled in six passes for 104 yards and had three carries for 23 yards.
  • Jodway caught six passes for 103 yards.
  • Senior Walter Love III led the defense with nine tackles, including seven solo stops.
  • On special teams, senior Gunnar Aper averaged 49.2 yards on four punts.

FOR THE FLYING DUTCHMEN

  • Hope totaled 387 yards of offense.
  • Brandan Campbell led all players with 21 carries for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
  • Mason Opple completed 17-of-22 passes for 205 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran the ball seven times for 21 yards.
  • Kurtis Slenk caught six passes for 39 yards, while Chris Leigh had three receptions for 94 yards.
  • Mason Rosado topped the defense with 10 tackles.

UP NEXT

Olivet is on the road to play Kalamazoo College Saturday, Oct. 7 at 1 p.m.